BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — The Armenian Genocide Committee of greater Detroit has announced the winners of the fourth annual essay competition.
Awards were presented to the winning students at the Hagopian showroom in Birmingham, before a crowd of students, educators, family and friends. The presentations were made prior to a lecture that same evening to be presented by historian and author, Raymond Kevorkian.
The competition funded by the Hagopian Family Foundation and conceived and initiated by the late Edgar Hagopian, recognizes and awards Michigan high school students who have written a successful essay on the Armenian Genocide.
This is the fourth year that the statewide competition has been offered to students with the hope that it will stimulate study of the many aspects surrounding the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey, 1915- 1923. David Terzibashian, committee member, and Angela Hagopian Snow, representing the Hagopian Family Foundation, presented the 2011 awards as follows: first place ($500), Julia Palaian, 10th grade, Farmington High School; second place ($250), Allie Lisner, 10th grade, Andover High School and third place ($150), Tim Zobel, 11th grade, Andover High School.
In addition, each teacher of the student submitting a winning essay was given a $100 appreciation award.
This year presented a unique problem for the essay judges: there were so many excellent submissions that honorable mentions ($50) were awarded to five additional students: Olivia Ann Kurajian, Seaholm High School; Raha Richardson, AGBU Manoogian School, Ari Sagherian, AGBU Manoogian School; Brianna Schwarcz, International Academy and Siddartha Jean, International Academy.